History's Lessons on Bellicose North Korea

The USS Pueblo, a 53.8-metre-long US ship North Koreans seized in 1968 after accusing its crew of spying in its territorial waters is anchored along the Taedong River in North Korea.
(STR/AFP/Getty)

In March, a South Korean warship was torpedoed, killing 46 sailors and sinking the vessel. Recent evidence strongly implicates North Korea as the most likely power responsible for the attack, though Pyonyang denies any involvement. Now, South Korean President Lee Myung-bak has said his country will boost its defense, sever all trade with North Korea and deny North Korean merchant ships access to their sea lanes. The U.S. has backed the South Korean stance.

But this is not the first time North Korea has taken a hostile maritime policy, nor is this the most explicit act of aggression by Pyongyang.

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The Pueblo, which something few people know, is still held by the North Koreans. It’s docked outside Pyonyang right now.

In 1968, North Korea seized the USS Pueblo on an intelligence-gathering mission in international waters, claiming the spy ship had strayed into North Korean waters. The North Korean Navy killed one American sailor in the process of pursuing and boarding the Pueblo, and 82 others were held for 11 months. The U.S. eventually gave the Koreans a written admission and apology, which was immediately rescinded once the crew had been released.